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Maui County has filed suit against Hawaiian Electric, alleging that the utility is responsible for catastrophic damages from wildfires that tore through Maui this month. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The utility \u201cacted negligently by failing to power down their electrical equipment despite a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning\u201d on August 7th, Maui County alleges<\/a>. The suit says Hawaiian Electric\u2019s downed power lines, while still energized, caused the fire by igniting dry grass and brush<\/a>. It also alleges that the utility failed to maintain the power grid, causing \u201csystemic failures\u201d that sparked three blazes on August 8th. The county is suing for civil damages affecting public property.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The utility \u201cacted negligently by failing to power down their electrical equipment\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The fires that ensued have taken at least 115 lives, and rescuers are still searching for hundreds of missing people.<\/a> In L\u0101hain\u0101\u00a0and Kula alone, 2,200 structures burned down, with damages likely rising above $5.5 billion. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The investor-owned utility provides electricity to 95 percent of customers in Hawaii. This isn\u2019t the first suit it\u2019s faced in the aftermath of the blazes. At least two class action<\/a> lawsuits have already been filed against Hawaiian Electric, each blaming the utility\u2019s downed power lines for sparking deadly infernos. Videos<\/a> taken by Maui residents are expected to become key evidence against Hawaiian Electric.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Hawaiian Electric said in a statement to The Associated Press<\/em><\/a> that it is \u201cvery disappointed that Maui County chose this litigious path while the investigation is still unfolding.\u201d The utility didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The allegations against Hawaiian Electric mirror lawsuits filed against California utility PG&E for its role in the deadly 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people and leveled the town of Paradise. Officials determined that PG&E\u2019s transmission lines caused the wildfire<\/a>, costing the company around $25.5 billion<\/a> in settlements with wildfire victims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n